8 Great Reasons

Sometimes you have to toot your own horn a little. So often people point to what’s wrong with the Church, this is my attempt show what’s right. No Church is perfect but together we truly are better.

And I pray that you, being rooted and established in love, may have power, together with all the saints, to grasp how wide and long and high and deep is the love of Christ, and to know this love that surpasses knowledge—that you may be filled to the measure of all the fullness of God. Eph 3:18,19

Street Cred.

Established as a society in 1984 we are now affiliated with the PAOC. We moved into this community in 1990. With 28 year serving and reaching our community we have demonstrated the staying power that gives credibility to our message. Like the double-hulled tanker, we have built in resiliency. There were seasons where we struggled to keep up but with persistence, prayer and hard work we have continued faithfully to this day.

Purpose Led :

We are not just maintaining stuff we are always looking for new ways doing things. Much has change in our methods, but the common driver is a purpose to reach people and share the Hope of Jesus. We are not led by experts but by apprentices who are learning by doing. Our lead Pastor has served Evangel for 19 years. We are team players who equip our unpaid lead team to serve on teams such as hosting, worship, outreach, seniors, youth and children’s ministry and maintenance.

Healthy Structures:

Shepherd’s Gate is guided by our Pastoral team, governed by our elected board and supported by our parent organization the Pentecostal Assemblies of Canada. This is not a lone star operation. We believe in team work from the board to the senior’s group. When God leads our family, we aim for a win-win that “seems good to us and to the Holy Spirit.” We won’t sacrifice relationship for tasks, but we also don’t let personal preference drive the agenda. Currently a team of top engineers and architects are working on our Shepherd’s Gate project getting things prepared. Our administration team including our Pastors, board, bookkeeper, accountant and volunteer and leadership teams are learning and using the latest technology.

Healthy Relationships:

• We are a mix of people from diverse backgrounds that get along because we celebrate our diversity and treasure our unity. The Church of the Bible was a miracle of diversity and unity that cannot be duplicated anywhere in human society. We rely on the uniting presence of the Spirit who assembles his body with joints and ligaments so that each part contributes to the whole. (Eph. 4:16) We have learned how to appreciate each other, encourage one another and challenge each other to grow. We have learned the value of standing with people even when others won’t. We are a healthy multi ethnic and multi generational family.

Missional

• Internationally we support David Pennoyer in Albana, JJ and Rachel Starkey in Egypt, Gary and Kathy Heinrichs in Costa Rica and Darren and Patty McCrea in Columbia. Locally, we support Kelley Johnson and Sharon Froese at Campus Ministries, U of C and Mount Royal College.
• We participate in mission trips to the NWT and Albania and are planning a future trip to the Philippines.

Local

We believe strongly in the impact of a local community-based ministry. We get to feel the pulse of our neighborhood and impact families positively for the kingdom.
• Studio 17. This innovative student led community outreach has achieved something many other programs have not. We created a sense of community, belonging and ownership among a tough group of kids.
• New Canadians: Our congregation is made up of a number of new Canadian families and so it reflects the diversity of our community. We have had many hands on opportunities to support new Canadians in their quest for a better life in Canada.
• Families in Need: Our annual stampede breakfast is reaching over 500 people and our season banquets touch many families and our food bank serves 100’s of families a year.

Partnering

We believe in shared resources and strategic partnership in fulfilling the mission God has called us to. Instead of reinventing the wheel we work with existing agencies to connect people with great services. Taking our kids to a summer camp, passing out weekly food hampers and enrolling neighborhood women in a support group are ways we work with agencies and people to build bridges to our community. We have developed awesome partnerships with agencies such as Community Kitchens; Interfaith food bank, Samaritans purse, Our Lady Queen of Peace Ranch, our local social worker, Hope Mission, St Lukes Anglican and now GFLS.

You

• Are you looking for a spiritual home where you will be included, involved and appreciated? Join Shepherd’s Gate and become a part of what God is doing through a unique neighborhood ministry in a diverse are of our City. Together we belong, grow, discover and go.